Robert Shirk

My figurative paintings are created on multiple sheets of layered plexiglass. Each sheet of clear plexiglass contains a part of the final image. The effect creates a 3 dimensional kinetic painting that moves and changes as the viewer’s perspective changes.

I’ve been influenced by the 1960’s optical and kinetic art of Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. Also the French Pointillist painters of the 1880’s, American photorealist painter Chuck Close, and the dramatic lighting of Dutch master Rembrandt van Ryan.

My aesthetic focus is to create an image of drama, beauty and sensuality. Not just with the subject matter, but with the composition, materials and application of color. An image that is fun to view with unexpected surprises. I'm adding textural drama and contrast to my recent paintings with the addition of soft exotic organic papers that contrast nicely with the smooth and shiny plexiglass.

I love watching the dance and delight of the viewers eyes wile discovering the movement, harmony and depth created by layer upon layer of images in my paintings. I am constantly reinventing the way I create images. Always searching for a playful bridge between the 3 dimensions of sculpture, and the 2 dimensions of painting.